Prejudice and racial hate is an aspect in the human life that can discredit and strip one off his or her moral stance and position within the society. The novel titled "A Lesson Before Dying,"" is a graphic representation of the fact and notion that the colour of the skin of a human being could play a critical role in determining the substance and character of a person. Consequently, the primary thesis of my analysis of "A Lesson Before Dying " revolves around prejudice, intentional or not, among the characters. .
The position presented here is articulated well by the fact that Jefferson is wrongfully sentenced to the gallows and is set for execution, not because the evidence presented by the prosecution is overwhelming, but rather it is because his defense attorneys did not present formidable counter-defense because Jefferson was a dim-witted black fellow. In an ironical juxtaposed context, the accused person is assigned a teacher to teach the basics and precepts of being a man. Taken together, all these circumstances seem to imply that the human race is prone to prejudicial exploitation and manipulation into gauging and judging the substance and character of a human being by the color of their skin.
At the tail end of the experience, the teacher who is supposed to show and enlighten Jefferson to the road of manhood is shocked to learn that Jefferson is very strong, much more so than himself. In retrospect, the teacher becomes a student taught on the same subject and matter that he thought was duly competent and knowledgeable (Dalrymple, 777). This circumstance and scenario illustrates how a person may think that he or she is competent and fully aware with a subject matter or topic of interest, but in reality and in the truest sense of the word could be not competent or knowledgeable. .
Inadvertently or not, the text highlights the aspect of how racial prejudice guides the defense attorney to brand the accused Jefferson as a hog who lacked the requisite whims and brains to plan a robbery.
